One evening Dietrich was later than usual returning to his tent, delayed by a minor emergency. When he entered, he found the tom sitting on his cot, tail wrapped neatly around his toes, the very picture of patience.
The cat Dietrich was starting to think of as Schultz gravely jumped down and ate the bit of meat and bread. "You don't seem to have terribly discriminating taste, my friend", said Dietrich. At the sound of his voice the cat looked up and meowed as if to say "It's better than starvation." He then surprised Dietrich by crossing the tent and jumping on a footlocker and having a good wash. Dietrich noted that with some meat on his bones and his fur put in order he really was quite a handsome fellow despite the scarred nose and notched ear. He was a rich golden tan with darker shading and his eyes were the color of Frau Dietrich's favorite topaz earrings.
After that night Schultz became Dietrich's companion and confidante. He always accompanied the captain on his tours of the camp, marching beside him, tail held high. Dietrich chose to ignore the rather unmilitary grins on the faces of the men as they saluted.
Schultz was not a demonstrative cat. He didn't care for petting and his attitude seemed to be that soldiers don't sit on laps. When not patrolling the compound he was content to lie quietly on a corner of the desk while the captain dealt with the day's paperwork. At night he slept in a colorful native basket that mysteriously appeared in the tent, complete with a clean but very worn pair of underwear for a mattress. Schultz was always ready to lend an ear, much like his namesake. Dietrich took great comfort in the calm presence of his feline friend.
The day came when orders arrived transferring Dietrich to a new post. Keeping pets was, strictly speaking, verbotten. While Dietrich could argue that Schultz was not a pet, but merely a tent mate, taking him to a new post seemed impossible. He hated to think about losing another yet another friend, and worried about what would happen to Schultz after he was gone, but such were the fortunes of war.
It was time to leave. Outside the tent a staff car idled, waiting to take him to his new post. His driver started to pick up his bags. "Never mind, gefreiter, wait in the car. I'll bring them myself shortly. He took one last look around to see if he had forgotten anything, picked up the bags and sighing, left the tent. He placed his bags in the back seat and slid in beside the driver. As they left the camp behind the driver asked 'What will become of the little cat now, Herr Hauptmann?" " I don't know, gefreiter," said Dietrich. He glanced in the seat where a scarred nose and topaz eyes peered out from under the flap of one of the bags. "Perhaps he too will find a new post"
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This is dedicated to the cats and dogs in my life, past and present, who give me unconditional love and comfort.